I’ve spent a year trying to find the best mac and cheese. It’s time to put everything I’ve learned to the test and make PERFECT mac and cheese!
Check out our MERCH! ✨ ➤ https://shop.littleremyfood.com
Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/littleremyfood
Snapchat ➤ https://www.snapchat.com/add/littleremyfood
TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@littleremyfood
Discord ➤ https://discord.gg/VRcS5zMfrN
✨Recipe:
1 lb pasta of choice
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 ½ cup heavy cream
Directions (See cheese and spice blends below):
1. In a large sized bowl shred all the cheeses and coat with cornstarch.
2. Boil your noodles until slightly underdone and set aside.
3. In a large pan on medium low heat, melt the butter before whisking in the flour until combined.
4. Whisk in evaporated milk then heavy cream little bits at a time. If you pour it all at once it could break the sauce or curdle.
5. Small amounts at a time, whisk in half of your grated cheese.
6. Add your noodles into your bechamel sauce and combine well.
7. In a 9x13 baking dish, place half of the noodles/sauce, then half the remaining shredded cheese. Add the other half of the noodles/sauce and then the remaining cheese.
9. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, then broil at 400°F for another 5 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 more minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Blend 1:
1 lb mozzarella
½ lb sharp cheddar
½ lb smoked gouda
½ lb pepper jack
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
Blend 2:
½ lb mozzarella
½ lb velveeta
½ lb sharp cheddar
½ lb white cheddar
½ lb colby jack
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
Blend 3:
1 lb mozzarella
6 oz gruyere
½ lb white cheddar
½ lb monterey jack
parmesan to top
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ginger
Blend 4:
½ lb mozzarella
½ lb velveeta
6 oz gruyere
½ lb sharp cheddar
½ lb white cheddar
½ lb colby jack
1 tbsp seasoning salt
1 tsp pepper
----------
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:24 All About CHEESE!
01:45 Let’s get Spicy
02:19 Noodles… Noodles Everywhere
02:41 Roux Who?
03:36 Which Dairy is Best?
05:49 Time to Make Some Choices
07:36 Tasting the Results
Check out our MERCH! ✨ ➤ https://shop.littleremyfood.com
Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/littleremyfood
Snapchat ➤ https://www.snapchat.com/add/littleremyfood
TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@littleremyfood
Discord ➤ https://discord.gg/VRcS5zMfrN
✨Recipe:
1 lb pasta of choice
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 ½ cup heavy cream
Directions (See cheese and spice blends below):
1. In a large sized bowl shred all the cheeses and coat with cornstarch.
2. Boil your noodles until slightly underdone and set aside.
3. In a large pan on medium low heat, melt the butter before whisking in the flour until combined.
4. Whisk in evaporated milk then heavy cream little bits at a time. If you pour it all at once it could break the sauce or curdle.
5. Small amounts at a time, whisk in half of your grated cheese.
6. Add your noodles into your bechamel sauce and combine well.
7. In a 9x13 baking dish, place half of the noodles/sauce, then half the remaining shredded cheese. Add the other half of the noodles/sauce and then the remaining cheese.
9. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, then broil at 400°F for another 5 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 more minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Blend 1:
1 lb mozzarella
½ lb sharp cheddar
½ lb smoked gouda
½ lb pepper jack
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
Blend 2:
½ lb mozzarella
½ lb velveeta
½ lb sharp cheddar
½ lb white cheddar
½ lb colby jack
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
Blend 3:
1 lb mozzarella
6 oz gruyere
½ lb white cheddar
½ lb monterey jack
parmesan to top
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ginger
Blend 4:
½ lb mozzarella
½ lb velveeta
6 oz gruyere
½ lb sharp cheddar
½ lb white cheddar
½ lb colby jack
1 tbsp seasoning salt
1 tsp pepper
----------
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:24 All About CHEESE!
01:45 Let’s get Spicy
02:19 Noodles… Noodles Everywhere
02:41 Roux Who?
03:36 Which Dairy is Best?
05:49 Time to Make Some Choices
07:36 Tasting the Results
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00For the past year, I've been on a mission
00:01to find the best mac and cheese.
00:03And while I made several that could claim that title,
00:05I want to know truly what makes a mac and cheese unforgettable.
00:08Wow!
00:11So by taking everything I've learned,
00:12we're going to dissect every texture, every flavor,
00:15every ingredient, then test it all
00:17to figure out how to make a perfect mac and cheese
00:19every single time.
00:21First, though, we're going to figure out
00:22what makes a good mac and cheese, the cheeses.
00:25There's no denying that cheese should
00:27be the highlight of this dish.
00:28But how do we even know where to start?
00:30It turns out there are two key players in the cheese lineup,
00:33mixing cheeses and flavored cheeses.
00:35Mixing cheeses, such as mozzarella, Velveeta,
00:38and American cheese, are all super creamy
00:40and bring structure to the dish.
00:42Each has their own perks, and they all play a crucial role,
00:45to get those cheese pulls.
00:46But flavored cheeses, this is where
00:48the dish truly has a voice.
00:50First, we pulled up some mild cheddar.
00:51But let's be honest, it's playing it safe.
00:53I find when you melt cheese, you don't
00:54taste the flavor as much.
00:56So you really have to go stronger.
00:57And I think that's why a lot of macaroni uses sharp cheeses.
01:00They're just going to bring out those flavors even more.
01:02Sharp cheddar, now that comes in with a bit more personality.
01:05Sharp cheese is so much better.
01:07And of course, there's the jack cheeses.
01:09Why do we include jack cheeses in mac and cheese?
01:12Like, what will the jack cheese do?
01:13So I did some digging on the benefits of these cheeses.
01:16And what really stood out was that jack cheeses
01:18has a more mild flavor, to let the other ingredients shine.
01:21They're also naturally creamy and melt like a dream,
01:23giving a more velvety texture that makes the mac
01:25and cheese so irresistible.
01:27But these cheeses would be nothing without the help
01:29of some stronger cheeses.
01:30Woo!
01:31That is very, very, very bitter.
01:34On its own, it's not my favorite cheese.
01:36But I know what it's capable of.
01:38Another rich cheese that always comes through is gouda.
01:41Gouda is so creamy.
01:42My goodness, that is a lot of cheese.
01:44Now, choosing spices for a mac and cheese,
01:47that can be overwhelming.
01:48How do you know it works with what cheese blend?
01:50One wrong move, and you could be putting in something
01:52to throw the recipe for a loop.
01:53Cinnamon.
01:56Why?
01:56In mac and cheese?
01:58Hear me out.
01:59Putting cinnamon in hamburger meat
02:00has kind of been a game changer for me.
02:02I didn't think it would go together, but it really does.
02:06I have, I'm speechless.
02:08I don't know what to say.
02:10Thankfully, I've learned that most mac and cheese recipes
02:12stick to a pretty reliable seasoning lineup.
02:14So I picked various spices that will work
02:16well with our cheese blends, and hope
02:18these don't kill our recipe.
02:19For noodles, it's pretty simple.
02:21While I did gather up and cook a bunch of pasta that might work,
02:23most of them had some quirks.
02:25Hey, these look like Perler beads.
02:28Wait.
02:29These look like Perler beads.
02:31I feel like people have run the test,
02:32and there's a reason why the classics just make sense.
02:35So in the end, we're left with elbow macaroni,
02:37shells, and corkscrew.
02:39Though the bow ties were pretty cute.
02:40But now let's figure out our roux.
02:42Some mac and cheeses have a roux, and some do not.
02:44But having a roux from the start makes
02:46it so much easier to get that cheesy texture,
02:48and ensure the end results are as thick and creamy as can be.
02:51From my experience, making a roux is
02:53a game changer for consistency.
02:55A roux forms a base for a bechamel,
02:57which transforms into a creamy sauce
02:59to help the cheese from curdling.
03:00But it's not foolproof.
03:02Too much flour can make it clump,
03:03and the wrong liquid can throw it off entirely.
03:06So how do we know what works best in a roux?
03:08One thing I've learned for sure is
03:09that evaporated milk is key.
03:11Every S-tier mac and cheese that I've had
03:13has included evaporated milk.
03:15It'll start to smell like cheese without having
03:17any cheese in it.
03:18It's like mind-blowing.
03:20So I decided to test the liquid combinations that
03:22are usually used in mac and cheese
03:24to figure out which ratio gives off the creamiest consistency.
03:27Since we already know that evaporated milk is in,
03:29I'll be testing these three versions.
03:30Milk with evaporated milk, heavy cream with evaporated milk,
03:33and evaporated milk with more evaporated milk.
03:36Now, this test is about consistency,
03:37so I kept it simple.
03:39No spices, just the basics.
03:41Feels really stressful, even though it's just an experiment.
03:44The milk in evaporated milk was kind of strange.
03:47I thought it would have been a lot thinner of a consistency,
03:49but it was the complete opposite.
03:51It's, like, in my spatula.
03:55Ah!
03:55Why?
03:56All right, here we go.
03:58This is our first texture experiment that we're baking.
04:02No cheese pull at all, and you can taste the Velveeta.
04:04This kind of tasted more like a Kraft mac and cheese.
04:07It tastes really good without the seasoning still.
04:10It's because of the Velveeta.
04:12And if you're a mac and cheese lover,
04:13imagine enjoying your favorite dish
04:14while wearing the coziest pajama pants.
04:16Well, we have a merch shop now, so you
04:17can find a lot of cool stuff here that fits your vibe.
04:19Pick yours up over at shop.littleremyfood.com
04:22or click the link in the description.
04:24And for a limited time, use code MACANDCHEESE at checkout
04:26to get 20% off your entire order.
04:28Now we're going to test with evaporated
04:29milk and heavy cream.
04:31I'm curious to know what this is going to do differently.
04:33I'm going to look this up.
04:35I'm curious, like, why do people use heavy cream versus milk
04:37versus evaporated milk?
04:38Google says using heavy cream instead of milk
04:41results in a significantly richer, creamier sauce
04:44due to the much higher fat content in heavy cream.
04:46So the heavy cream and evaporated milk
04:48had a very good cheese pull.
04:50Whoa, this is so gorgeous.
04:53Like, how?
04:54And I actually was pleasantly surprised by this taste.
04:57So immediately, I don't taste any Velveeta
04:59in this concoction at all.
05:01It's weird.
05:02It's almost like maybe the heavy cream balances out
05:05the Velveeta, so you don't taste it.
05:07And the Velveeta acts more as like a melting cheese
05:09consistency versus the taste, which I actually like a lot.
05:13That's very good.
05:15Wow.
05:16Oh, my gosh.
05:16How does that change it so much?
05:18And the evaporated milk on evaporated milk
05:20had a similar texture as well.
05:22This tastes a little more sweeter
05:24with the evaporated milk.
05:25It's still really creamy.
05:26I don't taste the Velveeta, which is nice.
05:28But I think you'd have to figure out ways to make sure
05:31that the sweetness gets balanced out with the savory.
05:33This is definitely a more creamy texture, thick and creamier.
05:36That was really cheesy.
05:38I can't believe I'm saying that.
05:39That's a lot.
05:40As close of a call as it was, the heavy cream
05:42and evaporated milk definitely wins.
05:45It's not overpowering, which gives a lot of room for the
05:47cheese to be the star of the show.
05:48So what are we working with?
05:50On the cheese front, I've lined up four different blends,
05:52each paired carefully with some chosen spices
05:55to bring out the best flavors.
05:56For the roux, a blend of evaporated milk
05:58and heavy cream with a little corn starch
06:00to help the cheese stay creamy and smooth.
06:02And I'm always skeptical because none of these recipes
06:04have ever been tested before.
06:05And I'm hoping that we at least get one mac
06:07and cheese in an S tier.
06:08I went in feeling confident, but of course,
06:11things never go exactly as planned.
06:13I'm just like, ah!
06:14Since we were dividing the recipe into four,
06:16the spices ended up way stronger than expected.
06:18Now, don't get me wrong.
06:20I'm a girl who likes some spice.
06:21But the real chaos came when we started
06:23making the bechamel.
06:24This doesn't look like enough cheese.
06:26Uh, are you sure your math is right?
06:29What do I do with this?
06:30There's too many noodles for this.
06:32So we had no choice but to recalibrate everything
06:35for the other mac and cheeses.
06:36We had a little technical difficulties.
06:38Lesson learned.
06:39Even the best plans can get a little cheesy.
06:41For mac and cheese number two, we gave it another shot.
06:43Here we go.
06:44Round two.
06:45This time with corkscrew noodles and a mix of mozzarella
06:48and Velveeta for the melting cheeses.
06:49The flavor cheeses were simple and traditional.
06:52Just a classic take on a mac and cheese.
06:53Stick into the basics.
06:55For the third mac and cheese, I drew some inspiration
06:57from the legends.
06:58These guys are always using a top tier cheese combination.
07:00And I decided to try it as a white blend.
07:02I don't know, my Canadianess was standing out, I guess.
07:04A little Parmesan on top.
07:07For the fourth dish, I wanted to simplify things.
07:09There's something I love about just using elbow macaroni.
07:11I feel like it just, it's smaller
07:13so it gets within the cheese a little bit better.
07:15Simpler times before all these other noodles
07:18came up to be existent.
07:20I've seen people use the seasoning salt before,
07:22and I thought, why not give it a try?
07:23It's a great option for anyone who doesn't
07:25have a full spice rack handy.
07:26As for the cheese, smoked gouda holds
07:28a special place in my heart, so I
07:29made it the star of this dish.
07:31With any luck, this mac and cheese
07:32should shine brighter than the rest.
07:34Let's pop these in the oven and see which one's the best.
07:36But which of these will take the crown?
07:39Honestly, there's no right way to make a mac and cheese.
07:42The beauty is that it's a blank canvas.
07:43We just need to experiment a little.
07:45So where do I rank?
07:46I'm obviously a little biased, so I'll
07:47leave that to you all.
07:48Drop a comment below, and if you
07:50try any of these mac and cheeses,
07:51post a picture or a video and tag me.
07:53And don't forget to grab your mac and cheese
07:55for jam pans at shop.littlerabiefood.com.